• Program Description
• Schedule
• Speakers
• Contact
• Past Symposia
  • March 1, 2024 – Louisiana’s Constitution at 50: The Past, Present, and Future of Louisiana’s Fundamental Law
    • Schedule
    • Speakers
  • February 10, 2023 – Let’s Get Fiscal: Contemporary Considerations in Taxation and the Law
    • Schedule
    • Speakers
  • February 11, 2022 – On the Basis of Sex: 50 Years of Title IX
    • Schedule
    • Speakers
  • March 5, 2021 – The Impact of the 15th and the 19th Amendments on the 2020 Presidential Election
    • Schedule
    • Speakers
  • January 31, 2020 – We The Jury
    • Schedule
    • Speakers
  • February 1, 2019 – Criminal Justice Reform
    • Schedule
    • Speakers
  • January 26, 2018 – The Fourteenth Amendment: 150 Years Later
    • Schedule
    • Speakers
  • January 27, 2017 – Blurring Lines: Emerging Trends and Issues in Sports and Gaming Law
    • Schedule
    • Speakers
  • March 18, 2016 – More than a Tradition: The Future of the Civil Law in Louisiana and Abroad
    • Schedule
    • Speakers
  • January 22, 2016 – Throw Away the Key: Criminal Sentencing Reform in the 21st Century
    • Schedule
    • Speakers

Symposium Objective and Purpose

Louisiana—as the lone Civil Law jurisdiction in the United States—has been instrumental in developing and maintaining one of the major legal traditions in the world, the Civil Law, in the English language. Indeed, having as its source Roman and Canon law, with Spanish and French influences dating back centuries, the Civil Law has developed over time to best suit the needs of the citizenry at the relevant time period. The development of this venerated legal tradition in English, particularly in Louisiana, has contributed to its influence and accessibility around the globe.

The continued viability of the Civil Law in Louisiana is possible because of the hard work of scholars throughout the state, and particularly the work of the great legal minds of the LSU Law Center. One such legal scholar is our very own Alain Levasseur, who has worked diligently to ensure that the Civil Law is accessible in English in Louisiana and abroad. This accessibility enables legal scholars from around the globe to share experiences and ideas regarding the history and future of the Civil Law tradition.

Please join the Louisiana Law Review, the Center of Civil Law Studies, and the Paul M. Hebert Law Center as we celebrate the development of the Civil Law in Louisiana, the accomplishments of Professor Levasseur, and the future of the Civil Law around the world.